Ground Zero: Evacuation
by Ty MacMillan
Summary: I had the idea for this when I was playing Halo 3: ODST. I noticed there weren't many civilians hanging around, nor many bodies. So I came up with a team of ODSTs, whose job it is to evacuate Civilians from Human controlled areas. Thus, I came up with The Tactical Recon and Evacuation Command, or TREC. This story takes place in parallel to the events of Halo 3: ODST. Please review.
1. Chapter 1: TREC 1

The U.N.S.C. _Garuda_, Earth Orbit, October 20th 2552, 3:00pm.

The U.N.S.C. _Garuda_, a Charon-class Light Frigate, was drifting in a high orbit of Earth, just over the African Main-land. The ships purpose was well publicized. It had been commissioned as the first ship in the new Tactical Reconnaissance and Evacuation Command, or T.R.E.C.

The group was established early in the war, when Reach fell, as a means to evacuate civilians. And currently, they were on high alert.

"So, what exactly do you think they're doing?" Mathison asked.

A ten year veteran, Charles L. Mathison had seen his share of Covenant, as well as what they do to Humans, civilian or not, who get in their way. He was the first to volunteer for T.R.E.C. and Led T.R.E.C. 1. At 32, he was old for a Helljumper. He looked even older, going prematurely bald, and opting to shave his head.

"Well, it doesn't take much to guess. If they're attacking the MAC relay, they must have their eyes set on Earth." Admiral Parker answered, stroking his mustache. "Unfortunately, we don't have the Authorization, nor the man-power to drop down and start evacuating civies at random… U.N.S.C. command wants to see IF they attack. We all know they will, it's just a matter of where, and when."

"We'll need more than just us sir, we can't fight off an invasion force."

"The U.N.S.C. _Say My Name_ is moving into a synced orbit now. They'll be the main response force."

"Hmm… Buck still leading the ODSTs over there?"

"He is, but everyone else there is green as grass."

"Eh, if I know Buck, he'll get 'em together quickly."

"That's it. I'll let you know if we need you, but I wouldn't stow your gear just yet. Dismissed."

"Yes sir!" Mathison stood and saluted before turning to leave.

"Oh, Sergeant! One more thing."

"Yes sir?"

"Your new boy just arrived. He's in the Hanger now."

"A new recruit?"

"That's right. He's a young one, only 18."

"Great… just what I need, a friggin' babysitting job…"

"He's gotten good reports so far, and he has a few drops under his belt. You don't need to hold his hand, just keep an eye on him."

"Yes sir."

"Alright then, get to it Sergeant."

Mathison left the Bridge, and headed down to his squads bunk-room. Inside his two squad mates were waiting.

"Up and at 'em ladies. We've gotta go break in the newbie."

"Newbie?" They both said in unison.

"You heard me, let's go!"

"I've got to grab my rifle from the Quartermaster, I'll meet you there." Logan said, rushing out of the doorway before anyone could respond.

"Well, looks like it's you an' me Lugo."

"Lead the way, Sarge."

Christopher Lugo, the team's Medic. He had planned to become an E.M.T., but the U.N.S.C. drafted him first. He made the best of it, and now is a proud member of the O.D.S.T.s. His valor in battle has made him a trusted and formidable soldier, but his temper has kept him from many a promotion.

"Come on, the Newb's waiting in the Hanger."

"I'm not exactly happy about replacing Paez so quickly." Lugo lamented as they began to walk down the hall.

"Lugo, Paez went AWOL, and he paid for it. I'd been tryin' to get rid of his sorry a—since he was assigned to me."

"But he-"

"I know he was a friendly guy, but you know what he was like. He loved the Innies, and it cost him. I guess it was a one way relationship." Mathison said with a chuckle as he pulled a pack of Cigarettes from his pocket. "Hopefully the new kid's got a smarter outlook on life."

"Kid?"

"He's only 18, apparently."

"Great…"

"Hey, Veterans are a rarity now. We gotta deal with the newbies, and make some new ones."

Lugo and Mathison stepped onto the Elevator. Just before the doors closed, Logan slipped through the door, holding his SRS 99D-S2, A new Anti-Material sniper.

Logan Scott is the big guy of the group, at 6"3'. However, his personality is the exact opposite, as he rarely speaks. His talent as a sniper is well known, even to some in the SPARTAN project.

"Glad you could join us, Blondie." Lugo said with a Grin, which Logan ignored.

They waited in Silence as the elevator slid down to the Hangar level.

Inside the Hangar, Technicians and Pelican Pilots were all scrambling to make sure they were ready to evacuate civilians should the need arise. Mathison glanced around the Deck, looking for the new recruit.

"Anyone see 'em?"

"There." Logan said, pointing to a short, Black haired man, sitting on his helmet and playing a handheld game.

Mathison walked over and stood above the recruit, who looked up, and quickly scrambled to his feet, dropping the game. He stood at attention and saluted.

"Sergeant. Private Tyler MacMillan, Reporting for duty sir."

"At ease. You sure you belong here kid?"

"Yes sir. I've been assigned to TREC 1."

"Well, you're looking at TREC 1." Mathison said, waving to his team. "That's Lugo, and the big guy is Logan."

Ty nodded respectfully to them, and returned his attention to Mathison.

"Orders sir?"

"Cut the 'sir' crap kid, I'm a Sergeant, not the damn president."

"Yes si- Sarge." Ty corrected himself.

"You go by Tyler?"

"I prefer Ty, if it's all the same to you."

"Ty? Alright, easy enough. As for orders, we gotta wait until U.N.S.C. Command gives us the green light. Until then, just relax."

Ty nodded and sat back down, picking up his game.

"So kid… I didn't exactly get a chance to review your file. What Academy are you coming from?"

"Argo Academy of Reconnaissance, Boston, Massachusetts."

"A recon specialist eh?"

"Yep."

"Good. What gear you runnin' with?"

Ty pointed to the metal case next to him.

"I've got an M7S, and an M6CSOCOM."

"Suppressed huh?"

"It helps to keep it quiet sometimes."

"Smart kid. Now all we gotta do is-"

Without warning, Alarms began to blare. Admiral Parker's voice roared over the intercom.

"TREC teams! We are green lit for Evacuation operations in New Mombassa! Covies have just landed! I repeat! The Covenant are on Earth! Teams 1 through 5, get to your pods and prepare to drop!"

While the rest of the squad took a second to process the information, Mathison was already spouting orders.

"You heard 'em! Those bastards are on the ground! Let's move it!"


	2. Chapter 2: The Drop

U.N.S.C. _Garuda_, Earth orbit, Above Africa, October 20th, 3:30 PM

Mathison and the other three members of TREC 1 Settled into their Drop pods.

The Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle, or SOEIV, is the standard drop pod used by the ODSTs. With a survival rate of 80%, they are the best chance ODSTs have of making it to the drop zone, but have a nasty tendency to drift off course.

"Ok boys, make sure your gear is stowed, your harness is on, and your balls are there, we drop in 3." Mathison said into his helmet's radio.

"Lugo here, I'm good to go."

"Logan. I'm ready."

"This is Ty, Ready to rock."

"Alright, just sit tight, hatches are comin' down now."

The SOEIV's doors swung down and clicked shut, followed by a distinct whoosh as the Interior pressurized. The following minutes were nearly silent, with the only noise being that of the Technicians checking, and double-checking the Pods. Mathison just hummed to himself. He been through hundreds of drops before, and this one would be no different. Ty, on the other hand, Checked and rechecked his harness.

"You nervous, Kid?" Mathison said over his comm.

"Kinda, yeah. I've been through a few drops before, but never in an urban environment."

"Don't worry, if you hit a building, you'll only feel it for a few seconds before you die." Mathison said with a chuckle.

"That's….. Reassuring…"

"I'm just messing with ya, you'll be fine."

"Yeah… yeah….."

The next minute seemed to last an eternity, until finally the lead technician's voice crackled in their helmets.

"All pods are set. Commencing drop in thirty seconds."

Ty cracked his knuckles, and put a tight grip on his pod's control sticks.

"Alright ladies, do or die time!" Mathison said.

"20 seconds."

"Hey Sarge! I'll race you down!" Lugo cackled over the comms.

"Lugo, you know you can't keep up with me!" Mathison snickered back.

"10…. 9…."

"Hey, new guy," Logan said into the comm.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Stop breathing so heavily on the comms."

"Oh… sorry…"

"5….. 4…..3…..2…..1….."

The air seemed to thicken, and time stood still for an instant.

"Drop."

The four pods shot out of the drop bays, and were pulled into the upper atmosphere.

"Tighten up the formation! We don't need to get separated!" Mathison roared into his radio.

"Can't help it, cross wind is blowing us off course!" Lugo answered, struggling to keep his pod on target.

The four pods shook as they entered the lower atmosphere, and suddenly, a huge Covenant carrier came into view.

"That's it? The force on Reach was way bigger!" Mathison though out loud.

"Maybe the MAC's took them all out?" Ty suggested.

"No way, reports said they only got four or five…. And that the Chief got one by himself."

"By himself?!"

"Almost makes soldiers like us unnecessary…" Mathison sighed. 'Anyway, cut the chatter, and tighten up!"

"Negative Sarge! Something's locking up my controls!" Lugo shouted.

"Mine too!" Ty added.

"Same here." Logan said calmly.

"It's the shielding! We're passing through the carriers shields!"

"Ah, Crap… Alright, when we clear it, try to get back in as tight as we can, and we'll regroup in the city. Deploy Air foils in three…..two…..one…. Deploy!"

The four pods launched their airfoils, slowing them down to a safe landing speed. They tried to close the formation, but they entered the cities airspace before they could get close enough. The pods smashed into the ground, a few blocks apart. Mathison opened his bay door and climbed out.

"Oh man… Report in!"

"This is Lugo, I'm good. I landed outside of the 8th street Hospital. Want me to come to you?"

"Negative, wait there, we'll come to you. Logan? You alive?"

"Yes. I'm on the Corner of 3rd and Mandela."

"Alright, head to the Hospital. On 8th street."

"Moving."

"Hey kid? You there?"

Ty's reply was scrambled, but legible.

"-m fine-…..-nded in the subway-…-y way up-….-at the Hospit-…."

"Alright, get up here ASAP."

"-s Sarge."

Mathison retrieved his Shotgun from the Pod and turned to examine his surroundings. He had landed in a city park. He was alone, luckily, but the entire area felt eerie, completely silent save for the occasional gunshot or explosion, and the ever present Banshees screaming overhead. He shrugged off his nerves and started off toward 8th street.

"Everyone keep off the main streets, Covies have a lot of air presence, and there are bound to be troops on the ground."

"Yeah… definitely troops on the ground…" Ty said over the comms, finally getting back above ground.

"You have eyes on, kid?"

"Affirmative, Platoon sized, Brutes and Grunts."

"What are they doing?"

"Sweeping the buildings, probably looking for potential prisoners."

"Alright, give them a wide birth, you don't have the gear to take them out on your own."

"Don't have to tell me twice. I'm on the way to 8th street. See you there."

A few uneventful minutes later found them all meeting outside of the 8th street hospital.

"Sitrep!"

"No contacts, Hospital's got quite a few civilians inside, along with the staff." Lugo said.

"Logan?"

"Ran into a few on the way. I handled it."

"Good, Ty?"

"Nothing other than the group at the Subway entrance. The might be headed this way though."

"Sounds like a good bet, 'specially if we try to get these civies out of here…. Covies can't resist a target like a Pelican." Mathison pulled off his helmet and wiped his brow. "Alright, here's the plan; Logan, you're gonna head into the Hospital and set up a perch on one of the upper floors." Logan nodded and jogged off. "Lugo, you and me are gonna stay here and organize the evacuation, and cover the civilians. Ty, you're gonna head up the street, and spot targets for Logan. Don't fire unless you need to. I don't want you trying to take them on alone."

"Got it. You catch that Logan?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, I'll try to find some juicy ones for ya."

Ty sprinted off down the street. Mathison turned to Lugo.

"New kids got a decent head on his shoulders."

"I give him that. Let's see if he can keep it there."

"How many do we have inside?"

"50 or so, 70 with the staff."

Mathison put his helmet back on, and switched radio channels.

"Command, come in, this is TREC 1-1."

"This is command, we read you TREC 1." Came the slightly static reply.

"We're at the Hospital on 8th street, Financial District. We've got a large group of Civilians here and they need to be evac'd. How copy?"

"Solid copy. How many birds do you need?"

"Probably two, send three to be sure."

"Copy that, Archangel 1,2, and 3 are on the way. ETA twenty minutes."

Ty's voice crackled on the comms.

"Sarge! I don't know why, but that platoons headed your way!"

"Already?!"

"They may have tapped our comms."

Mathison slapped his forehead.

"And I just gave them our position… Lugo! Get the staff to barricade the doors!"

"On it!" Lugo ran inside the doors, and began shouting orders.

"Logan! Are you in position?"

"Almost. In the elevator now."

"As soon as you are, start dropping 'em!"

"With pleasure…"

"Ty? Where are they now?"

"Just turning onto 8th street now."

Mathison looked out to the city.

The hospital was built on a dead end, with a large courtyard between it and 8th street. And the only way up to it was directly up the street. The Covies would be funneled in, but with Brutes, that was hardly an advantage.

Mathison jumped as he heard the distinct Boom of Logan's 12.7 caliber sniper rifle.

"Jesus, Logan! You just took that friggin' Brute's jaw clean off!" Ty said into his radio.

"Kill confirmed." Logan responded quietly.

"Alright… take the one on the right side, by the Red car. He's got a Brute shot."

"I see him."

Another loud bang.

"Ooo…. This is your brain… this is your brain on lead, any questions?"

That earned a quiet chuckle from Logan.

"Alright, you've got the grunts nice and confused. The next Group won't be here for a few more minutes. Drop 'em as you see fit. I'm gonna move to a better position."

"Roger."

Lugo had rejoined Mathison in the courtyard.

"They moved some benches in front of the doors, and there are two Cops inside with Pistols, but we're gonna have to hold them here."

"I had planned on it." Mathison said, peering into his binoculars, watching as Logan did what he did best. "If Hawkeye up there keeps this up though, we won't have much to worry about."

"What about the new guy? He doing his job?"

The radio crackled again, almost as if to answer Lugo's question.

"Logan, I've moved to the Convenience store on the left side of the street. The next squad is coming in. All Brutes, Spikers and Plasma rifles. Don't fire until they reach the Mailbox in front of the store."

Mathison looked over at Lugo and chuckled.

"Sounds like it."

Lugo rolled his eyes and spoke into his radio.

"Hey, New guy! If you're in the Store, get me a soda."

"Yeah right. I'll get right on that once Planet of the Apes is over. Logan, drop the one in front."

Another sharp response from Logan's rifle.

"Oh man… if he was still alive, he'd feel that in the morning…"

Mathison sighed.

"Kid, I asked you to spot, not give commentary."

"Sorry Sarge. Logan, take the one on the left, near the street light."

Another load roar from the Anti-material rifle, and another dead Brute.

"Reloading, hold off on new targets." Logan said as he reloaded the rifle.

"Make it quick, they're gonna start running!"

Ty poked his head over the shelf he was hiding behind.

"oh… Sh-, Guys! We've got a problem…"

"What?"

"4 squads! All High ranking Brutes!"

"Damn it… I thought this could be easy… Keep your head down and keep spotting for Logan, kid. Me 'n' Lugo are gonna get into a defensive position."

"Roger…" Ty whispered as the large group rushed past him.

"I'm ready for more targets." Logan said into his radio.

"Ok…. Uh…." Ty poked his head out again, trying to pick a high risk target out of the crowd. "Near the blue fuel truck. Brute Commander. Grav' hammer. Get him before he gets any closer. He might need a few shots."

Logan trained his scope over the Brute's eye, but stopped. He saw a better target, and moved his scope over to the truck itself.

"Keep your head down Ty."

"Uh… ok….."

Logan fired two shots at the truck, and two more at the trailer it carried. The resulting fireball launched the rushing brutes across the street, and blew out the windows of the Convenience store Ty was in.

"Crap! A little warning next time?!"

"You're fine…"

"Yeah, but that could have- Oh crap…." Ty's comm cut out.

"Ty?" Logan said into his radio. Receiving no reply, he moved his scope over to the store. He could just make out Ty hiding behind the counter as the Brutes searched around.

"Sarge. Ty's pinned down."

"What?"

"The brutes are looking for him in the store."

"Crap… Lugo! Let's make some noise!"

"How much noise?"

"Go Rambo, buddy."

"Awesome!"

Lugo sprinted down the street, firing his AR and taunting the Brutes, while Mathison tossed frag grenades toward them. All the Brutes turned to investigate the noise and ran out to fight the new arrivals.

"Thanks guys…" Ty said over the Comm. "I'm gonna flank behind them. See if I can drop them while you have their undivided attention."

"Good call! Logan! You are weapons free!"

Logan decided to let his rifle reply for him, as he put another round perfectly through a brute's skull, and searched for another target.

Lugo and Mathison had taken position in the courtyard before the Hospital.

"Kid? Feel like helping?!"

"I'm moving in now! Watch the crossfire!"

Ty crept behind a flipped car, and leaned out. Lugo and Mathison were holding their own, but they were under a lot of fire. He tucked the extended stock of the M7S into his shoulder, and fired off a quick burst. The brute he had aimed at cringed as the 5-by-23-millimeter rounds ripped into its back, spraying a fine red mist into the air, and fell over, dead. Ty had no time to admire his handwork, however, and moved to get a better shot at another target.

"Sarge, why the hell did you bring a shotgun?" Lugo asked as he slapped a fresh mag into his MA5B.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time…" Mathison said, swapping the shotgun out for his sidearm.

"In a street-to-street op?"

"Shut up and keep shooting!" Mathison ordered as he hopped up to fire, putting two rounds through a cowering Grunt's methane tank, sending him spinning through the air.

"Hell, I didn't know we were gonna get a fireworks show!" Lugo chuckled. He leaned over the low wall they were using for cover, and shouldered his AR. A brute was charging towards him. "Big mistake, Monkey!" Lugo squeezed the trigger, emptying the 32 round mag into the Brute's torso, stopping him, literally, dead in his tracks.

"Please tell me someone's keeping score!"

"Lugo! Less talk-y, more shoot-y!" Mathison barked.

"You always spoil the fun…" Lugo groaned, reloading his rifle.


	3. Chapter 3: Danger Close

New Mombassa, October 20th 2552, 4:00 PM

TREC 1 was still fighting off the Covenant attacking the Hospital. For every Brute they killed, two more showed up. The Pelicans that had been dispatched to them were 20 minutes overdue. Mathison switched his radio channel to Command's frequency.

"Command! TREC 1 is heavily engaged on 8th street! Where are those birds?"

"TREC 1, they were attacked by Banshee's on the way in. They'll get there, just hold on for a few more minutes."

"We might not have a few more minutes!"

"Do you need air support? We have Longswords on standby."

"That would've been nice to know! Bring 'em in! Targets are on 8th street, danger close!"

"Copy that, connecting you to Firehawk 3-1."

A short static took over, and a quick tone confirmed his radio was connected.

"TREC 1, this is Firehawk 3-1. I've got bombs that need a new home. Can you pop smoke to mark your targets?"

Mathison pulled a Smoke grenade off of his belt, pulled the pin, and tossed it over the wall.

"Smoke's up! Be careful, they're right on top of us!"

"Turning now. Bombs away in one minute."

Lugo turned to Mathison.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

"The new guy?"

"Oh S-…"

Mathison scrambled to change his radio channel.

"Kid! We've got air support coming in! You need to get out of there!"

"Oh crap…. Alright, I'm moving now!"

Ty broke off from the brutes he was exchanging fire with, and moved up the street towards the Hospital. He dashed across the street and leaped over the wall Lugo and Mathison used for cover.

"Howdy! Miss me?"

"Yeah, I almost hit you a few times though." Lugo said with a smirk.

"Oh, how nice…." Ty said, rolling his eyes. Their radios crackled.

"TREC 1, Firehawk is coming in, and the talons are out. Keep your heads down."

A Longsword fighter streaked down and followed 8th street, Heading directly for the hospital.

"Bombs away."

The twin 500 pound Dumb-bombs dropped from their rails, and screamed toward the ground.

"Get down! Now!" Mathison shouted, before getting as low to the ground as possible, Lugo and Ty doing the same.

The bombs hit just a few feet off where the smoke grenade was, and exploded, tearing the attacking brutes to bits, and spewing blood all over the street.

"TREC 1, confirm on drop?" Firehawk 3-1 said into his Mask. Receiving silence. "TREC 1, Respond."

Mathison pulled himself up and wiped the blood off of his helmets visor.

"Good effect on target Firehawk… I'll send ya my laundry bill." He said, flicking some brute bits off of his shoulder.

"Roger that, TREC 1. Might wanna move downwind before you start to stink. Firehawk 3-1, out."

"Man… I wanted to watch the explosion…" Lugo said, hanging his head.

Ty was still sitting on the ground.

"Can you give me a hand Lugo?"

"Sure, here ya go." Lugo giggled as he dropped a Brute's severed hand into Ty's lap.

"Oh God!" Ty shouted as he scrambled to his feet, wiping the blood off of his pant legs. "Don't do that!"

"Oh come on! You HANDED me that one." Lugo said with a cheesy smile.

"Are you two ladies done?" Mathison sighed. "The Pelicans are here…"

Back at the Hospital, Logan was already loading civilians onto the evac flight.

"Alright people! Listen up!" Mathison bellowed, getting everyone's attention. "These fine UNSC pilots are gonna take you to the _Garuda_, Our own little slice of heaven. Once there, you'll be checked in, and you can eat, sleep, or look for your loved ones. We have 4 other teams evacuating civilians as we speak, so if you don't see them right away, don't freak out. Wait a bit, and they may show up on the next flight. Good luck, and Godspeed."

Lugo and Ty rushed over, having given similar speeches to the other two full Pelicans.

"Everyone's in." Lugo said with a satisfied smirk.

"Got it. Pilots! Get these people out of here!"

The three pelicans lifted off, and rocketed away from the city, slipping past the Covenant cruiser as Longsword fighters kept up their assault.

Mathison watched for a bit, and turned to his team.

"Good work guys. Real textbook stuff."

"What part of the textbook talks about being covered in Pureed Brute?" Ty groaned, still trying to get the blood off of his uniform.

"Oh chin up, Diva… Think of the story this'll make!" Lugo said, fantasizing about all the female Marines he'd regale with his heroic tale.

"Well, it sucks so far…"

Mathison radioed the _Garuda_.

"TREC Actual, this is TREC 1. Evacuation complete."

"Affirmative TREC 1. One moment."

Mathison sat on the steps of the hospital, thankful for the moment of silence, save for Lugo, as usual, talking up a storm.

"I'm telling you, I got like… 10, on my own. How many'd you get Newbie?"

"Three I think…"

"Ha! You lose! What about you Blondie?"

"15." Logan said, patting his rifle.

"Yes! I wi- 15? Damn it…" Lugo said, kicking at the ground.

"It's not about kills Lugo." Mathison scoffed.

"Says the guy who didn't get any…"

"I'm about to get one if you don't check your mouth."

Lugo slinked away, and walked inside the hospital. Mathison's radio clicked on.

"All TREC teams, this is TREC Actual. Evacuation operations are complete. 8 Pelicans confirmed arrived. Two confirmed lost. Begin phase two; Recon the sectors you were assigned in briefing. Report any and all findings to us. How copy?"

"Solid copy. TREC 1 is moving now." Mathison said, jumping to his feet, and turning to his team.

"Alright, here's the- Where the hell is Lugo?"

"He went inside…"

"I swear, sometimes I just want to-"

Lugo sauntered through the double doors, helmet off, and a soda in his hand.

"What's up Sarge?"

"Did you seriously just go get a soda?"

"I said I wanted one, didn't I? And Rookie here forgot to grab it while he was in the store."

"Yeah, I had a hard time deciding what was more important, my survival, or your thirst." Ty scoffed.

"Always think of the team first, kid." Lugo said, before chugging down the rest of the bottle.

"Lugo… I swear to god…" Mathison fumed. Lugo pulled another soda from behind his back.

"I got you one Sarge."

"Can we at least TRY to act like professionals?"

Lugo hung his head.

"I was thirsty… sorry. I guess I'll just throw this out."

"Well, I didn't say I didn't want it…" Mathison chuckled.

"Hypocrite…"

"Anyway," Mathison said, taking the bottle from Lugo. "We're starting phase two. We have two spots to Recon. An old weapons depot on the outskirts of the city, and the central park. If we wanna take a stand and stop these guys, we'll need both. Lugo, you 'n' me are goin' to the Depot. Logan, take Ty and scope out the park. Engage at your own discretion. Any questions?"

"Where are the other teams going?" Lugo asked, slipping his helmet back on.

"Targets closer to the Carrier's area. Hopefully they won't run into too many problems…"

"Where are we meeting up after this, Sarge?"

"All teams are meeting at Evac-point Alpha. The courtyard of the Capital Building."

"Got it."

"Alright, you two are on your own from here. Keep radio use to a minimum. Got it?"

"Yes." Logan nodded. Ty gave Mathison a thumbs up.

"Get goin' boys, we're on the clock."


	4. Chapter 4: Armax Weapons Depot

New Mombassa, October 20th, 2552, 6:00 PM

Tracking ODSTs: Sergeant Charles Louis Mathison and Corporal Christopher Xavier Lugo

Sector 3-F. Historical District, Armax Weapons Depot.

Mathison Crept up next to the emplacement of sandbags outside of the Armax Facility.

"Lugo." He said into his radio, looking over the sandbags."You in place yet?"

There was a few seconds of silence before Lugo responded.

"Yeah, I'm in place. You've got a bit of resistance on the way in."

Mathison peeked out again.

"Which tower are you in?" Lugo used his helmets flash light to get Mathison's attention. "Alright, I see ya. Guide me in. I need to get inside the main building."

"Why don't we just take 'em out? Be a lot easier... and fun..."

"Without a proper head count? We could be biting off more than we can chew. Once I get a solid number on the enemy, we can decide whether or not we can take 'em then." Mathison said, with some annoyance. "Now can you do me a favor and tell me where to go?"

Lugo rolled his eyes. "Alright, you've got a few grunts to your left, head right around those crates, and be quick. There's a brute who keeps making passes over there."

Mathison peeked around the corner one more time, before rushing out, and sliding to a stop behind a pile of Ammo crates.

"Am I clear?"

"You'd have to be blind to miss ya, Sarge, but I don't think anyone saw ya." Lugo chuckled. He scanned around Mathison. "Slip around that shed behind you and move along the wall."

Mathison crept along the wall, staying as low to the ground as possible, in the shadow of the outer walls. Lugo followed him though his spotting scope.

"You're clear, the entrance is on the left. Hope it's not locked." Lugo said with a smirk.

"Oh ha ha, you're on a roll today Lug'." Mathison scoffed. "Get over here. Try not to get spotted."

"You're not giving me enough credit, Sarge." Lugo said as he climbed down to ground level. "I'm telling you, you probably won't even realize when I get there."

"With your mouth? Hell I'd know if you were in the same state without seein' ya." Mathison groaned.

A few minutes later, Lugo crept up next to Mathison.

"Did you get the door open, Sarge?"

"No." Mathison said, shaking his head. "I thought you could?"

"Logan's the one with the lock-picks..." Lugo sighed.

"Ah... Fuck it." Mathison stood up and kicked the door in, getting the attention of the four brutes inside the room.

"A little warning would have been nice, Sarge!" Lugo shouted as he followed Mathison into the room, his AR lighting up. Two of the brutes dove for cover, but the other two didn't move quickly enough, and were cut down by the storm of metal. Lugo ducked down behind a crate to reload, while Mathison scanned the room.

The Depot was rather large, but it seemed smaller with all the weapons and ammo crates around the room, stacked to the ceiling.

Lugo circled the room slowly, searching for the two brutes, with Mathison following closely behind him.

"How'd we lose a pair of god damn gorillas?" He said, Sniffing the air. "I smell you monkeys! Come out and play!"

Almost to answer him, one of the brutes shoved over a crate of DMR's, colliding with Lugo and knocking him to the ground. The alien leaped over the fallen crate, intent on beating Lugo to a pulp. Mathison reacted quickly, however, firing his Shotgun, and blowing the Brute's chest wide open. The second brute tried to rush him, but Mathison spun quickly, cocked the gun, and blasted the Brute's face off. He ducked aside as the lifeless body toppled toward him, collapsing on top of Lugo. Mathison slid two fresh shells into his weapon.

"And that," He said with a grin. "Is why I brought the shotgun."

"Fantastic," Came Lugo's muffled reply. "Can you get King Kong off of me now please?"

"Since you asked so nicely..." Mathison chuckled, dragging the corpse of off his squad-mate. He scanned the surrounding room. "Oh yeah, we can definitely use this stuff..."

"That's great and all, Sarge..." Lugo said, wiping the Brute blood off of his visor for the second time today. "But did you forget about our friends outside? Assuming they didn't hear all this."

"You didn't read up on our target, did you?" Mathison groaned.

"Can't say I did. Care to enlighten me?" Lugo said, slinging the AR over his shoulder and looking into a few random crates.

"Well, these Depot's are important, obviously, so they need to be protected."

"Which explains why we had to sneak in here and take it back..." Lugo said with a scoff.

"Shut up and listen, Smart a-. This base uses Auto-turrets, we get to the Command Console up there," Mathison pointed to a small booth overlooking the room. "We can turn 'em on, and kick our feet up while they do the hard work."

"Do I still get credit for the kills?" Lugo asked hopefully.

"One of these days, I swear..." Mathison muttered, heading up the nearby stairs to the command console. Lugo peeked into another crate.

"Ooo... Pretty..." He said, lifting the large Automatic Rifle. "The hell is this thing? We don't have any of these in the Armory..." He peeked down at the Crate's label, and read aloud. " The M739 SAW... Chambered for 7.62 by 51 Millimeter ammo... Hm... Sold!" He said, shouldering his new weapon. He gathered a few spare drum magazines, and joined Mathison in the control booth.

"Damn it... which button is it?" Mathison muttered as he looked over the practically foreign control panel. Lugo reached forward and pointed to a single switch, labeled "Turrets".

"Oh... I knew that..." Mathison said, flipping the switch, which was immediately followed by the sound of heavy gunfire outside. Mathison turned to Lugo. "Where'd you get that thing?"

"I found it... I call it Greg." Lugo said with a cheesy grin.

"Do you ever listen to the Shit that comes out of your mouth, Lugo?"

"No sir, I do not." Lugo said, puffing out his chest.

"Idiot..."

"Love you too, Sarge." Lugo chuckled. Mathison walked over to the large garage-type door leading outside, and punched the button to open it. The door slowly slid open, and Mathison ducked under it, followed by Lugo. It was a gruesome scene outside, as the Covenant had been cut down but the auto-turrets.

"Oh, this is real pleasant..." Lugo said, looking around. "Oh, hey! Lookie lookie!" Lugo pointed to the other end of the compound. "A Warthog!"

A military grade Warthog sat near the wall of the depot, ready and waiting to be used. Mathison looked over to Lugo, holding up his gun.

"I call Shotgun!" He said with a snicker, making Lugo groan.

"That was bad... and you should feel bad..."

"Like your jokes are any better." Mathison said, rolling his eyes. "Go get it fired up, I'll plant the tracking beacon. I get the feeling Logan and Ty are gonna need our help."

"You got it, Sarge."


	5. Chapter 5: Central Park

New Mombassa, October 20th, 2552, 6:00 PM

Tracking ODSTs: Private First Class Logan Alexander Scott and Private Tyler Mitchell MacMillan

Sector 2-A: Central Park

"Logan, you got me?" Ty said into his radio. The central park appeared peaceful from a distance, but through the scope of Logan's rifle, the number of Covenant troops was clear as day. This was a dangerous place to be. Unfortunately, the Anti-air Shade Turrets the Covenant had set up made it impossible for the incoming ODST reaction force to land. The task of clearing it fell to Logan and Ty. Logan trained his scope over Ty, who was hiding behind a low wall at the far edge of the Park.

"I see you. Move up."

Ty mantled over the wall and rushed through the overgrown grass, diving behind a hedgerow.

"You're clear." Logan said, scanning the Covenant encampment. "They didn't see you."

"You sure? I think that brute looked over here..." Ty said, keeping as low behind the hedges as possible, crawling along the ground.

"I'm sure. Stop worrying." Logan lowered his rifle and wiped his brow. The custom scope he had mounted on his rifle gave him amazing range. He had set up in a sniper's perch, 45 stories above the Park. To the Covenant in the park, his shots would blend in with the sounds of distant combat.

"Sorry... First time doing this for real, ya know?" Ty peeked around the hedgerow. A squad of brutes were standing around, speaking a language Ty couldn't recognize.

"Hasn't anyone ever tried to make a translator or something? I mean, it seems like it'd help to understand what they're saying." Ty wondered aloud.

"Now's not the time. Move up." Logan ordered.

"Oh, right... sorry."

Ty pushed himself off the ground and ran in a crouch across the park path. Although he was practically silent, every single step sounded like an explosion to Ty, Half-expecting the Brutes to turn and spot him at any moment. He mantled over a low wall, and crouched down behind it.

"Am I clear?" He asked.

"Yes..." Logan said, his frustration growing. "If they spotted you, you'd know."

"Uh... right... sorry..."

Ty inched along the wall, moving closer to his objective. At the edge of the wall, Ty was a few feet from the first Shade turret.

"Alright... watch my back, I'm gonna set the charges." Ty said, pulling the small blocks of plastic explosive from a pouch on his vest. He peered out quickly to make sure no one was looking his way, and rushed over to the Shade. He was using what ODSTs referred to as "Idiot Bombs" No wires, no complicated detonator, just a big red button, and 60 seconds to get clear. He stuck the charge on the Turret's plasma tanks, and punched the button before sneaking past it toward the next one.

"Alright, first one's good, be ready to take down some targets."

"I'm always ready." Logan said, sighting his rifle on a Brute Chieftain. He found it odd that there were no Elites in sight. Usually they were the ones leading the charge. Logan quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. He was here to kill Covenant, no matter what kind they were.

"Second charge is set! Moving for the third!" Ty said. "You've got 20 seconds before the first goes off, so feel free to open up on these guys!"

"Roger. Keep your head down, and watch the crossfire." Logan said as he slowly squeezed the trigger. The rifle roared in his hands, and he leaned forward to absorb the recoil, and pick out another target.

Ty couldn't distinguish the shot from the ambient sounds of combat, but the sudden, and unique, sound of a skull popping told him all he needed to know. He quickly set the third charge, and sprinted across an open field to get clear of the blast. He slid along the ground and ducked behind a small knoll in the grass just as the first explosive went off.

The resounding explosion rocked the ground Ty laid on, and the Covenant in the park began scrambling around, still not sure what was occurring.

Logan locked his sights on another Brute, this one a mere foot soldier. Brutes had always been a terrifying sight to any UNSC trooper. Logan fondly remembered his Training officer refer to them as; "Gorillas with guns, only half as smart and twice as mean." The true nature of the Brutes showed in their weapons of choice: Spikers, Maulers, and Gravity Hammers. All Brute weapons involved a blade of some kind, and each one had the same purpose: to brutalize.

Logan chuckled to himself. "Brute-alize... Lugo'll appreciate that one." He said out loud. Ty's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Uh... Logan? A little help would be nice!"

Logan looked through his scope, and scanned the park for Ty.

Ty had moved from his hiding spot, attempting to leave the park grounds. But had been spotted a few feet from the exit. He opted to run across the street for an open store front, and hold them off. It wasn't working.

"I see you." Logan said, training his cross-hairs over a Grunt's methane tank. His HUD quickly gave him a suggested firing solution, adjusted for gravity, distance, and wind. He quickly made the corrections, and fired. The large caliber round tore through the air, rupturing the Grunt's tank. Almost instantly, the tank exploded, scattering Blue tinted gore across the pavement, and knocking the other Covenant off balance.

"Jesus! Thanks Logan!" Ty said as he popped up over the store's counter, taking advantage of the break in fire to take down some enemies. He noticed a group of Brutes breaking off, running back into the park.

"Logan, Heads up! You've got... 1, 2, 3... 4 Brutes, One Chieftain class, headed back into the park, they may be headed your way."

Logan quickly spotted them, and began to fire. His first shot ripped through the Brute's stomach, tearing his organs to shreds. Logan switch targets to the next closest Brute, who had stopped to look back at his fallen friend. Logan took his time to line up the shot. The rifle in his hand kicked hard as the round flew forward. The bullet ripped through the Brute's neck, severing his spine, and killing him instantly. Once again, he swung the rifle down to pick out his next target. He sighted him out, and prepared his shot. He carefully squeezed the trigger and...

_**CLICK.**_

The rifle's hammer fell on an empty chamber. In the most rookie mistake he'd ever made, Logan had lost track of how many rounds he had fired. He scrambled to reload, but just before he could line up a shot on the two remaining Brutes, they ran out of his line of sight, into his building.

"Crap... Hopefully they don't know what room I'm in..."

Logan and Ty's radios crackled on.

"Logan, Ty, This is Mathison, Our objective is secure, and we are inbound to your location. We've commandeered a Warthog, and are coming up 5th Ave. now, E.T.A. 10 minutes."

"Great!" Ty responded. "I could use some support ASAP, The Shades are down, and their owners aren't too happy with me!"

Mathison shook his head.

"We're going as fast as we can, kid. Just hang on."


	6. Chapter 6: Worst Case Scenario

AN: Sorry if this ones really short, but I had trouble getting this one done... As pathetic as it may seem. I'll make up for it with the next few Chapters. :D

New Mombassa, October 20th, 2552, 7:00 PM

Sector 2-A: Central Park.

Lugo and Mathison raced to reach Central Park. The sound of distant combat was drowned out by the Warthog's engine.

"What do you mean they're not responding?" Lugo shouted over the Engine noise.

"I mean, I can't get through! I'm getting nothing but static on all channels!"

"Keep trying!"

"No shit..."

Lugo turned hard onto 5th street, leading to Central Park.

"Buck's guys are supposed to drop soon, right?"

"Yeah, they're probably in the tubes now." Mathison nodded.

"Looks like there's fighting up ahead!" Lugo shouted.

Plasma blasts streaked across the street in the distance. The covenant were attacking a storefront, but it seemed like a stalemate.

"Drop me off there, and go for Logan!" Mathison ordered.

"Got it! Get ready!"

Lugo slammed on the handbrake, sliding the rear of the Warthog into a drift. The massive steel machine bounced as it slid into the group of Brutes on the street, and Lugo brought the careening vehicle to a stop.

"Oh man, I don't have insurance!" Lugo cackled. "This is your stop, Sarge!"

Mathison leaped out, his shotgun at the ready, but most of the covenant were falling back. Lugo sped off down the street, turning the corner to search for Logan.

"Kid! You in there!?"

Ty leaned out from behind the store counter.

"Sarge?"

"Christ kid, we've been trying to contact you for an hour!" Mathison said as he rushed over next to him.

"Radio's are down! I lost contact with Logan a while ago." Ty said reluctantly.

"He'll be fine. Let's han-"

A deafening roar drowned him out. A blinding light engulfed the store. The last thing Ty saw was the roof of the store caving in, before he was knocked out.


	7. Chapter 7: Logan

New Mombassa, October 21st, 2552, 1:30 AM

Sector 2-A: Central Park.

Tracking ODST: PFC Logan Alexander Scott

Logan finally reached the top floor of the building. The resulting force of the Carrier's jump had weakened the tower's structure, and several rooms had caved in, including some of the stair wells.

The surrounding city didn't look much better.

Many of the older buildings had collapsed, and large chunks of others had broken away. The entire city was dark, save for emergency lighting around the main roads and hospitals. Through his scope, Logan could make out the odd plasma bolt lighting up a small part of the city.

He tried his radio, but received nothing but static. The radiation leftover from the Carrier was interfering with their radio signals.

Logan paused and thought.

"Alright... standard procedure... there is no standard procedure for this... Damn it..."

He was separated from his squad, with no radio, and little ammo and supplies left. The situation seemed bleak at best.

"Ok... I should try to gather anyone I can. Some of the ODSTs must've reached the ground..."Logan thought.

Lost in his planning, Logan failed to notice he wasn't alone.

The two Brutes from earlier hadn't given up on finding him, and now, he was cornered, 70 stories up and alone.

Logan turned as the first Brute, a minor rank, began to charge, roaring as it did. Thinking quickly, he leveled his rifle and fired. The 12.7 millimeter round crashed through the Brute's headgear, into his skull.

The body's inertia caused it to topple into Logan, however, and he lost his grip on his rifle, sending it clattering along the ground under an Air conditioning unit nearby.

Scrambling to his feet, Logan came face to face with the second Brute, a Chieftain in full battle dress; Ornate armor, and a heavy staff.

Ducking back, Logan dodged the Brute's first swing, and circled around his right, trying to move over to his weapon. The Brute seemed to know his intentions, swinging down to block him off. Logan dashed left and rolled as the Brute swung in a wide circle, missing Logan by inches. Rising to a crouch, Logan lurched forward, launching a heavy punch to the Brute's jaw, knocking off his Head dress.

The Brute paused for a second, before flying into a rage, tossing it's staff aside and charging at Logan. With a heavy swing he sent Logan flying backward, toward the edge of the building. He managed to roll to his feet, and skidded to a stop a few inches from the ledge. As the Brute charged wildly, Logan saw his chance to end it.

Waiting until the last second, he ducked down and to his left, sweeping the Brute's legs out, and sending him toppling over the side of the building; 70 stories to the ground.

Logan took a minute to catch his breath, and retrieved his rifle. Walking to the edge of the building and looking through his scope, He saw signs of fighting across the park.

"I gotta get down there..." Logan muttered, before rushing off to make his way to ground level.


	8. Chapter 8: Cave in

New Mombassa, October 21st, 2552, 2:10 AM

Sector 2-A: Central Park.

Tracking ODST: CPL. Christopher Xavier Lugo

"Hey! Are you alright?"

Lugo opened his eyes.

"Ugh... my head..."

The first thing that greeted him was a short man, with short, unkempt brown hair looked down at him. He was wearing the armor of a Marine Corps Medic, with the red cross on a white arm band.

"Relax..." The man said when Lugo tried to sit up. "That was one 'ell of a fall, ya know" He had a distinctively Scottish accent.

"What happened?" Lugo asked, getting to his feet.

"The top of the tunnel collapsed while you were driving on the road up there." The medic said, pointing to the gaping hole in the ceiling. "You're one lucky bastard."

"How the hell did the road collapse?" Lugo asked, looking over at his overturned Warthog.

"The carrier that was over the city split, the slipspace rupture tore apart a good chunk of the city."

Lugo flipped on his radio.

"Don't bother, radio's can't cut through the interference."

"Who are you?"

The marine held out his hand.

"Corporal Adam Waters."

Lugo glared at him. Waters pulled his hand away.

"Corporal Lugo. TREC 1."

"An ODST? I didn't think any of ya made it down 'ere."

"You haven't seen any others?"

"Nope. Me an' Rich ain't seen a soul."

"Uh... Rich?"

"Specialist Malodov. 'e's over there." Waters said, pointing to a marine digging through rubble"Don't know what division 'e's from. Found 'im in a crashed pelican a few blocks back after the carrier jumped. 'e was in bad shape. 'is vocal chords are completely torn apart. Must be one tough bugger to have pulled through, even with my skills."

Specialist Malodov wore the standard BDU for Marines, with several areas stained with blood. He wore a full medical face mask to protect his throat and face, concealing his appearance. He nodded to Lugo.

"Uh, hey there..."

Lugo looked around the tunnel. There wasn't much past abandoned cars and rubble. The Warthog still looked serviceable, save for it laying on its hood.

"Alright, well... protocol says-"

"Protocol?" Waters scoffed. "Ain't nothing close to this in the rulebooks!"

"That is," Lugo continued, louder this time. "Protocol says, in the case of separation from command, follow your commanding officer's orders. So, unless you've got someone waiting somewhere else in the city, that's Sergeant Mathison."

"Don't see no Sergeant around here boy." Waters said, narrowing his eyes at Lugo.

"Well, if he was here he'd be in charge."

"If my grandmother had wheels she'd be a wagon, what of it?"

"What?" Lugo said, scratching his head.

"'e ain't here, so it's no use sayin' what we'd do if 'e was, you follow me?"

"Right... In that case, you and Malodov over there will follow my orders until we find him. Got it?"

"'ey, ODSTs get seniority. You'll get no complainin' from me."

"Alright then..." Lugo turned to Malodov. "Hey! Buddy! Get over here! We need to get this Warthog on it's wheels!"

Malodov jogged over, and set his DMR on the ground.

"A DMR? The hell'd you get that?" Lugo asked, receiving a glare from him. "Uh, right... can't talk... sorry."

Lugo braced against the back wheel of the Warthog.

"Alright, on three! One! Two! Three!"

After a few solid shoves, the Warthog rolled over onto it's wheels.

"Alright..." Lugo said, looking into the drivers seat. His SAW was still locked into place under the seat. "Pile in! Malodov, you're on the gun."

Lugo climbed in the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Good, she still runs..." He said in quiet relief.

"I don't want to shatter your dreams, buddy." Water said, hopping into the passenger seat. "But where exactly do you think we'll find your Sergeant?"

"I dropped him off a block or two that way." Lugo said, pointing to the collapsed tunnel behind him. "We go this way, get topside, and find our way back. If I know him, his plan'll be to hold out and wait for us to come to him."

"Alright, well, if memory serves, there'll be an off ramp up ahead on the left." Waters said, pointing ahead of them.

Pulling near the gate, there was a Warthog on fire, with a Marine laying on the ground nearby. The off ramp was blocked by a large Bulkhead. Lugo parked the Warthog, and hopped out.

"Waters, check them." He ordered, pointing to the Marines laying on the ground. Malodov hopped off the gun and jogged over to the Bulkhead.

Lugo tried the radio.

"Sarge? You there? Anyone?"

Static.

"They're dead, Jim. Er... Lugo." Waters said, crouching over the body of a Marine.

"Uh... right." Lugo looked over to Malodov. "What the hell is he-"

The sound of scraping metal filled the air, deafening with the echos of the tunnel.

Malodov flashed Lugo a thumbs up before climbing back behind the Warthog's chain gun.

"Uh... nice work. How'd-"

"'e's a Tech specialist." Waters said from the passenger's seat. "It says so on 'is Squad's patch."

"Oh... Great!" Lugo said as he got the Warthog moving again.

Returning to street level, Lugo was able to see exactly how much damage the Covenant had caused.

"Jesus, one carrier did all this?"

"Sure did." Waters nodded. "'ell of a thing ain't it?"

"At least we got a good chunk of the Civies out..."

On the road ahead, Lugo could see a silhouette in the darkness. He heard Malodov spinning up the gun.

"'ang on there, Rich. That don't look like an alien to me, boyo." Waters said, squinting at the figure.

"I sure as hell know who that is." Lugo said with a grin. He honked the Warthog's horn.

"Logan!" He called as he pulled alongside the hulking ODST.

"Lugo?" Logan said, turning to look in the Warthog.

"Man, am I glad to see you, Blondie! Hop in the back!"

Logan jump onto the back on the Warthog

"This is Waters and Malodov." Lugo said, introducing his companions.

"Nice to meet you, Logan. 'ell of a day, eh?" Waters chuckled. Logan didn't even crack a smile.

"Lugo, we need to move. Mathison and the Rook are pinned down a block and a half from here." Logan said, bracing against the Warthog's roll cage.

"You got it!" Lugo said, slamming down on the throttle.


	9. Chapter 9: In the Line of Duty

New Mombassa, October 21st, 2552, 1:30 AM

Sector 2-A: Central Park.

Tracking ODSTs: Sgt. Charles Louis Mathison, Pvt. Tyler Mitchell MacMillan

"Ah, Christ..." Mathison grunted, tossing the chunk of drywall of of himself. "The hell was that?"

What was left of the store was dark, and destroyed. All of the street lights had gone out, and the only light came from fires and the moon.

"Jesus..." He said as he examined the surrounding area. "This is a mess."

He sat up and looked around the store.

Most of the shelves had been blown away, and the majority of the structure had collapsed, leaving a pile of broken concrete chunks and rebar.

"Kid? You still with me?" Mathison called as he got to his feet.

"Over here..." Came the strained reply. Mathison rushed over to see Ty pinned under one of the Store's concrete support beams. His helmet was missing, and blood dripped down his face. Mathison gripped the edges of the beam, and lifted with all his might, clearing enough room for Ty to slide out from under it.

"There you go..." Mathison grunted as he dropped the beam down. "You alright, Kid?"

"Still breathing." Ty said, wiping the blood from his face. "Lost my SMG."

"You're lucky that's all you lost, pal. A few more inches and you'd have lost your head." Mathison said, checking his shotgun. It was still working perfectly. "You still got your sidearm?"

Ty plucked his M6CSOCOM from his leg holster.

"Luckily." He nodded.

"Good, then we're still in this." Mathison walked out from the wreckage and flipped on his radio. "TREC Actual this is TREC 1, do you copy?"

The only reply was static.

"Damn it... comms are down."

"Must be the radiation from the carrier's jump." Ty said.

"What?"

"The carrier... it... puts off radiation when it makes a hyperspace jump." He said, scratching it's head.

"How the hell do you know that?" Mathison asked.

"Video games..." Ty said with a grin.

"Of course... How foolish of me to think you might actually have learned something somewhere." Mathison replied, rolling his eyes.

"Where do you think Logan and Lugo are?" Ty asked.

Mathison looked around, squinting into the darkness.

"Smart money is on Logan being in that building somewhere." He said, pointing to the office building on the opposite side of the central park. "And Lugo, hell, anything's possible..."

"So... I'm a little fuzzy on protocol here..." Ty said. "Exactly what do we do when an Alien attack on earth turns to eight shades of shit?"

"Pray to god you don't step in it." Mathison chuckled.

"Oh great. This is a wonderful first assignment." Ty groaned.

"Kid, you don't get medals for sitting on the ship playing grab-ass, you get me?"

"Yes sir." Ty said, his shoulders slumping. "I don't think I'll be getting any medals any time soon. For all we know, we might be the last humans left!"

Mathison narrowed his eyes at Ty.

"Kid, you got a wild imagination, you know that? Do me a favor and just zip it, alright?"

"Uh, Yes Sarge. Sorry..." Ty said, wiping more blood from his face.

"You gonna be alright? That's a nasty cut."

Ty nodded.

"You sure?"

Another nod.

"You could say something, you know..."

"But you said-"

Mathison rubbed his temples.

"I know what I said... Jesus..."

"So... what, exactly, is the plan?" Ty asked, looking over his pistol.

"Wait here, Without radios, we can't organize ourselves. It's better if we stay put. That way at least they know where to look for us."

"Sounds like-" Ty stopped, jerking his head to the left, out towards the darkness of Central Park.

"Something wrong?" Mathison asked.

"I though I heard..." Ty trailed off.

Ty shoved Mathison to the ground as a flurry of orange streaks flew by, superheated steel spikes of the Brute's devastating Spiker.

"Shit!" Mathison shouted, crawling into the rubble for cover. "Did you see how many there are?!"

"No clue, Sarge!" Ty called back from behind the destroyed remains of the shop's shelves. Lifting his Automag pistol over the top, he fired blindly into the dark.

"Don't waste your ammo kid! You don't know how long we need to hold out!" Mathison yelled as he fired periodic shotgun blasts in the enemy's direction.

Plasma blasts and Spiker rounds light up the night, mixed with the muzzle flash of Mathison's Shotgun.

"Why the hell are they still here?!" Ty called out.

"Doesn't matter! They're here, they die! Got it!?" Mathison snapped and he crouched to reload.

"Yes Sir!" Ty shouted, hopping out from cover to fire into an approaching Brute. The M6CSOCOM packed a surprising punch, and the Brute fell almost instantly. Ty ducked back into cover to reload.

The combat dragged on. For every Brute they killed, two replaced it.

"Kid, how you doin'?" Mathison asked as he slid yet more shells into it's shotgun.

"Holding up! You?"

"Loving every second!" Mathison cackled. He had to admit, things started to look bleak. He didn't want to say it, but he had about 20 shells left, and it didn't look like Lugo or Logan, or anyone would be coming for them. But he was an ODST, Through and through. I came from hell to bring as many sorry S.O.B.s back with me as possible, He thought. An old Helljumper's Motto.

"Sarge!?" Ty called, snapping Mathison out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"This isn't looking good..." Ty said bitterly.

"We'll be fine kid." Mathison said. "Lugo and Logan'll be charging in any second now!"

"I may be green, Sarge, but-"

"I'm telling you, we'll be fine! Now shut your damn mouth and fight!"

Ty nodded silently. His expression grew dark, but it was almost... accepting, of what was to come.

"Either way, it's been fun Sarge."

Mathison peered out into the darkness. They either needed to move now, or they'd die in this pile of rubble. They didn't have they supplies to hold out here. Thinking back on his career, Mathison had never been in this bleak of a situation. At his age, he was old for a Helljumper. While Ty was just old enough to be accepted.

"Kid..." Mathison said, pulling a smoke grenade off of his vest.

"Yeah Sarge?"

"Get ready to run."

"What!?"

"You heard me! Run!" Mathison shouted tossing the grenade out into the street.

As the smoke filled, Mathison rushed out into the street, firing wildly into the smoke. Turning to his left, he felt a blinding pain in his chest. He looked down to see a Spike sticking out of his chest.

His legs folded under him, and he collapsed to the pavement.

Ty rushed to Mathison's side, dragging him behind a nearby car.

"What are you doing!?" Mathison said through his gritted teeth, a pink froth forming around his mouth. "I told you to run!"

"Fuck that!" Ty said. "Either we both leave, or neither of us do!"

Mathison's vision started to darken.

"Hey! Stay with me!" Ty called as he continued to fight. A stray plasma bolt crashed into his vest, dropping him to one knee.

A block away, Lugo and Company approached the clearing smoke.

"There!" Lugo yelled. "Malodov! Light 'em up!"

The Warthog's Chain gun roared to life, spewing heavy caliber rounds at a staggering rate. Lugo slammed the handbrake, sliding the Warthog to a stop, and hopping out.

Within a few minutes, the Brutes lay strewn across the street. Waters was tending to Mathison.

"Thank god we got here in time." Lugo said, helping Ty to his feet.

Waters walked up to Lugo.

"I wouldn't say that..." He said sadly.

"What?"

"'is lung's been punctured. All I've got left is bandages. I ran out of Bio-foam hours ago."

"So?"

"So? So!?" Waters said angrily, before leaning in to speak quietly. "Do I need to spell it out, boy? He's not going to make it. I'm a doctor not a damn miracle worker..."

The words hit Lugo like a punch to the stomach.

"I'm sorry, Lugo. I can't do anything for him. I mean, maybe if we'd gotten 'ere earlier, we could've-"

"Shut up." Lugo said angrily.

"Wha-"

"Shut, the hell, up!" Lugo snapped.

Waters stomped off, kicking the back bumper of the Warthog angrily.

Lugo crouched down next to Mathison, whose breathing had become shallow, and labored. Ty sat against the rubble, looking straight down at the ground.

"Hey Sarge..." Lugo said, trying to sound cheery.

"Hey... Jackass..." Mathison chuckled.

"The Doc says you're gonna be fine, so-"

"Chris... Don't bullshit me... I know what... is gonna happen..." He said, gasping for breath. He looked over at Ty and Logan. "You know... what comes next... right?"

"Yeah... I know."

Mathison lifted his Dogtags off of his neck, holding them out to Lugo.

"Put these... Somewhere nice..."

"You got it..." Lugo said, trying to smile.

"Listen, you gotta... do me one... more favor..."

"Yeah?"

"Don't let the kid... blame himself..."

"You got it, Sarge."

"Good boy..." Mathison said with a sigh.

"Any more requests, Mr. Needy?" Lugo chuckled weakly.

"Yeah... Name a ship after me..."

"Got it... the UNSC Asshole."

Mathison scoffed.

"You're alright Lugo... You're... Alright..."

Mathison took one last breath, and closed his eyes.

Lugo sat in silence for a bit, and it seemed the uneasy silence over took the whole city. After a few minutes, Lugo stood up and turned to Ty.

"Rookie!"

"Yeah?" Ty said weakly, still staring at the ground.

"Is that wound gonna be a problem?"

"No."

"Good, than up and at 'em. You're driving."

"Yes sir..." Ty said, standing up and trudging to the Warthog. Lugo stopped him as he passed by.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Blame the Covies, not yourself."

"If I hadn't hesitated, he might-"

"Don't waste time on what MIGHT have happened, you hear me? Don't remember him by feeling sorry for yourself. Get angry, and make sure every single Covenant bastard out there fears your name."

"Yes sir."

"It's just Lugo, rook."

Ty nodded, and got into the Warthog's front seat.

"Alright Ladies! Saddle up! Malodov, Logan, Get the Sergeant loaded in the back... We're not leaving him here."


End file.
